Recent rain obviously put a damper on things, but frankly, our gardens needed freshening up and the ground given a good wetting. My lettuce put on a spurt of growth within hours of the rains coming and generally everything benefited.

Obviously, however much the rain may be beneficial, our main incentive for gardening is to create something of a special place out of doors, and so on the one hand we welcome rain to refresh our plants, but really we dream of days of dry days, so we can feel the warm sunshine on our backs and enjoy the rewards of our hard work and see plants at their very best.

When we do get the hot dry weather, it is remarkable how appealing water becomes. The sound, sight and movement of water bring a garden to life and create a relaxing ambience. I dug a pond out (with help) in my garden 10 years ago and since then it has been the focal point of my garden. The garden itself has undergone two changes since that time, but the pond has always remained the centrepiece and long may it remain so.

I love to eat out of doors and we grab every opportunity to do so during the summer, our seating area on the decking surrounded by pots of flowers and hanging baskets. The use of water in the garden, however, provides the finishing touch and provides such a sense of calm. I find relaxing quite stressful and am always itching to get on with the next task, but I do pause occasionally, perhaps with a brew to sit on the garden bench and enjoy the water cascading over the waterfall, watching the fish cruising below the water, frogs plopping off the pondside and the odd bird stopping off for a quick bath or drink of water.

You do not need a big garden to enjoy the sound and sight of water. There are dozens of self-contained water features in a huge range of designs readily available which simply require filling with water and plugging in to a safe source of electricity. These are ideal in small spaces such as backyards where you can easily create a little paradise.

Of course, Charlie Dimmock made installing a water feature something of a trademark during her Ground Force days. Anything from a plant pot to a watering can could easily be connected up to a pump with a bit of flexible pipe and you have a water feature. Simple but amazingly effective.

Perhaps the simplest of all, is a plastic pebble pool sump with the lid removed, filled with water, the border dressed up with pebbles, the whole thing wrapped in a piece of logroll. Drop a pot of marginal plants in, a clump of oxygenting plant to keep the water fresh, and a floating plant to complete the effect at trivial cost and in a space little larger than that taken up by an old-fashioned dustbin. Setting up can be done in under 15 minutes.

If you have a larger space to dedicate to water gardening you can move on from the water feature to the proper garden pond. Something of a mistique has built up around water gardening and ponds which makes some folks nervous but apart from considering the safety of young children, there is little to it. Pond designs are usually based on the pond having deep water at the centre and a marginal shelf (a flat shelf about nine inches below the pond surface on which to stand pond plants) around the edge.

The marginal shelf is the most interesting part (in plant terms) of the pond. There are huge numbers of "marginal" plants to choose from but their role is purely onamental, being there to soften the effect and give a naturalistic feel. Pre-planted aquatic baskets of plants can be plonked on the shelf in seconds for instant effect. Their use determines the character and style of the pond. Plants used include water Iris and mimulus, but there are many according to personal taste.

The centre of the pond is usually left as open water, but floating plants such as water hyacinth can just be chucked in and left to their own devices to grow into a floating raft of foliage to provide shade and shelter for fish. You can get a similar effect by growing a water lily in the deep water, in an aquatic basket on the bottom of the pond, but be aware that lilies require still rather than moving water in order to prosper. They are, however, incredibly beautiful and pygmy versions exist for mini ponds, growing in 12in. of water.

To keep the pond water clear and fresh, the use of oxygenating plants is vital. Perhaps the commonest are the Elodea plants, usually sold in little bunches attached to a lead weight. They process fish waste turning it into a nutrient for their own benefit, but above all they invest the pond water with oxygen for the benefit of creatures in the pond, particularly fish.

But what about the noise and sparkle of moving water? Well unless you are lucky enough to have a stream on your property, or unlucky enough to have a leaky water main under your lawn, then you need a pump. They come in all shapes and sizes but the commonest are submersible. Attach them to a piece of ribbed pipe, position them on a brick or similar on the bottom of the pond and connect to a safe electricity supply. You now have moving water. It is that simple.

In my pond, the hose goes to the top of a stone cascade of steps before falling as a curtain of water into the pool, agitating the surface of water and thereby oxygenating the water in the process. This is great for pond fish, but also provides noise and visual drama. Simple but amazingly effective. The higher the waterfall required, the greater the work the pump has to do and so the larger the pump required. All pumps state the litres per hour they shift and their maximum working height (or head).

With a little planning, a garden pond or water feature really is easy to install and a vibrant part of any garden and I would never be without one. If there are young children about then it should be carefully thought through and designed or chosen as appropriate. I am looking forward to a summer in the garden, cultivating the vegetable plot, feeding and watering the hanging baskets, dead heading the roses and enjoying the simple process of growing things.

But every once in a while I shall pause, sit down and enjoy the garden for what it is...a place of beauty and a place of relaxation. A little retreat away from the troubles of this world. A place to enjoy with friends but also a place to sit quietly and enjoy all on my own.